ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s 2024 legislative session again showcased contrasting Republican approaches to governing, while minority Democrats couldn’t leverage those differences to advance top policy priorities.
And while many GOP initiatives in the state Senate seemed like appeals to that party’s primary voters, Republicans are hoping tax cuts and a harder line on immigration will carry them to victory in November’s legislative races. Democrats walked away more furious than ever about the failure to expand Medicaid health insurance, one cornerstone of their campaign to make gains in the state House.
In the background of 2024 campaigns for all 236 state legislative seats is jockeying for elections to statewide office in 2026. Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, displaying a conservative edge, seems more likely than ever to run to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, as many GOP lawmakers try to satisfy an activist base.
Some issues unified Republicans, including speeding up an income tax cut, uniting around a crackdown on undocumented immigrants in jails, and pay raises for teachers and state employees.
But there’s a continuing power struggle between the chambers. Last year, that conflict burst into the open, with House and Senate leaders killing bills from the other chamber in a dispute that was set off by Jones’ push to loosen health care permitting requirements.
Jones won a partial loosening of those rules this year, and conflict overall was less public. But sharp disagreements were evident as each chamber completely disregarded measures passed by the other.
“You know, some folks choose politics. The House chooses results,” Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington told reporters moments after the House adjourned at 12:58 a.m. Friday. He and other House leaders said they instead focused on “kitchen table” issues often funded through the budget, like a spending boost for prekindergarten programs.
Divisions showed in how, even more than normal, decisions cascaded into the last…
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